Superior or inferior how? For job hunting? Admission to a master's or doctoral program? Just in terms of training?

True, the GradDip is postgraduate. But isn't that normally done after a 3-year bachelor's program? (I'm thinking of the Australian system here--not sure if you are too.) In the US, a bachelor's is 4 years with the last 2 years concentrating on your major, more or less. Are you comparing the GradDip to a 3-year bachelor, a US style 4-year bachelor, or an Aussie style 4-year honours degree?

I'm no expert but I think it's hard to make a general statement about one or the other being superior--you'd have to compare programs directly. But if you did well in your GradDip and got the chance to practice teach, you're probably competitive in the job market.

I think a pgce is generally considered to be a higher academic grade than the other but we don't see a lot of them here and quite frankly you would not get a job any easier than someone who had a teaching experience and this was your first year time served at the chalk face is what its all about .

i already have a bachelor of education (PE) and a masters of education. i am studying for a grad dipl/masters of applied linguistics but will probably opt for the grad dipl due to family time. i was just wondering how employers view the qualification and how academics view it/rate it. a pgce i believe , only being a certificate is way below a bachelor in the same field. i was just wondering if a bachelor in English or linguitics has the same academic weight. We all know that a honors is superior to a bachelor and that a masters is superior to both and a doctorate beats anything and a specialist doctorate e.g. Ed D beats a Phd. but what about the post grad diploma. I'm only familiar with the aussie system.

Hi
The bottom line from an employers perspective is regardless of how many bits of paper you have or letters after your name ,can you teach?
Assumming one can and you have a history of this that is what makes the difference plus any references from previous employers your extras over and above the standard B.A and T.E.F.L or equal are just iceing on the cake and the pgce is the cherry nice to look at but the real stuff people is the actual cake ,makes sense don't it??

I think Richard nailed it. The only way I can see it making a difference is if you apply for a job and have the misfortune of having your resume evaluated by someone unfamiliar with your country's system. In that case, such a person might simply assume that "diploma" is less than a bachelor's and not realize its worth. But that seems most unlikely. I'd imagine that the people who do the hiring have screened teachers from various English-speaking countries. They may not know exactly what a GradDip entails but they should know where it ranks on the paper scale.

I've been there done that in a language school. great experience but lousy pay. I'm now in a high school 'on a good wicket'. I aspire to get into the cream of the crop esl jobs i.e. International schools or a job in Hong Kong. Before teaching esl i was teaching phys ed for several years. for me teaching is a career, not a novelty. One has to look after one's family and future. Thus to land a fantastic job one must have the necessary qualifications. Sure i can teach but employers at excellent schools don't want just a CELTA they want big letters. btw does anyone here teach at an international school or just language schools? Language schools are great but they are a business first and an educational institution second. Money seems to be very important to the owner but not so for the teacher. It never used to be my concern, but after several years you tend to aspire to travelling with your family in something more comfortable then a smoked out crawling bus and living with a vehicle(which i still don't have) and sending your kids to a school and having enough food on the table and paying for immigration for your family....and........You get the point.

I teach at a primary school in Hong Kong on the Net scheme. The only qualifications that they recognise, it seems, as teaching credentials are a degree plus CELTA or Trinity TESOL and a Bed or a degree and PGCE. It seems that they do not recognise Med or Ma as teaching qualifications as they can often not involve any practicum. The PGCE will get you in to an international school. It is one of their demands. I have heard that some schools prefer a degree and PGCE as the degree will be subject specific over a Bed. Only what I have heard from other teachers.
As far as teaching ESL/EFl is concerned a degree plus CELTA is the minimum. A degree plus PGCE better. A degree plus PGCE plus CELTA even better.

i'm pretty interested in the net scheme, Once Again. i already have a CELTA, am getting a PD dip. appl Ling and have a BEd. i was knocked back for a job in an asian country because of my B.Ed. they didn't like the fact that the major was Phys. Ed. My masters in Education had no bearing over the matter because "the P.E. was the main degree." pretty confusing to me!